Teaching Phonics in Elementary Schools

Teaching Phonics in Elementary Schools Phonics can be defined as an instruction in sound-letter relationship used in reading and writing (Strickland, 1998). In earlier times an alphabet spelling system dominated the teaching of reading, however, a phonetic method was introduced in which children were taught individual sound letter relation and how to blend to decipher words. Teachers were dissatisfied with the method at the time because much attention was placed on word analysis and little interest was given to comprehension. Children were expected to learn every word as a sight word, making progress slow and laborious. This approach was temporarily abandoned and the basal reading program was introduced. The basal reading programs held predominance over other methods and then teachers became discontented with them as the only form of reading instruction and again returned to phonics. Various changes methodology was initiated in an attempt to solve the reading problem in the elementary schools. The literature based approaches to reading instruction in which phonics is taught in conjunction with other word identification strategies was among the practical application. These newly approaches though widely varied in application teaching phonics continue to be heard today. The support of phonics is combined with demands for a greater emphasis on spelling and grammar. Phonics instruction reveals deep philosophical differences about teaching, learning and leads to power struggles over educational policy. Despite the potential for the phonics debate to polarize educational communities, most educators and parents try to avoid instructional pendulum swings that confuse than clarify issues. They choose to concentrate their efforts on providing effective literacy programs. Types of Phonics There are different types of phonics instruction approaches that vary according to the explicitness by which the phonic elements are taught and practiced in the reading of text, it is important to understand the five specific types of phonics instruction and what they entail. Systematic phonics approach is a sequential that set on phonics elements are taught along a dimension of explicitness depending on the type of phonics method employed (national reading panel2000). Analogy phonics is teaching students unfamiliar words by analogy and to know words (e.g., we distinguish that the rhyme segment of an unfamiliar word is identical to that of the a familiar word, and then blending the known rhyme with the new word onset, such as reading sick by recognizing that -ick is contained in the known word kick, or reading hump by analogy to mumps). Analytic phonics is using phonics to teaching students to analyze letter sound relations and learning words to avoid pronouncing sound in isolation. Embedded phonics is using phonics to teaching students phonics skills by embedding phonics instruction in text reading and a more implicit approach that relies to some extent on incidental learning. Phonics through spelling is when teaching students to segment words into phonemes and also to select letters for those phonemes. Synthetic phonics is teaching students explicitly to convert letters into sounds and then blend the sounds to form recognizable words. According to national institution of child and human development report the national reading panel (2000), that phonics instruction teaches student to use the relationship between letters and sounds to translate printed text into pronunciation of words. But it is surprising that many students and teachers do not understand the basic rules in learning or teaching phonics instruction in the content area. Students knowing the basic phonetic instruction rules will help them sound out words and memorize sight words. Phonics advocates focus their efforts on the primary grades and emphasize the importance of students being able to sound out (read) words based on the phonetic instruction (Reyhner, 2000). Inadequacy of Teaching Phonics The phonological instruction is a remarkably, powerful technique and away to teach every child to reading and spelling. The different strategies of phonics instruction a child must go through before they can acquire phonics lessons, from infancy to beginning of school and at each stage the kind of help the child needs from qualified teachers with the knowledge. There are many elementary teachers who have no idea of teaching phonics instruction to students. Primary teachers education students themselves frequently express concern over their lack of confidence in their phonics knowledge and their frustration having to teach and rely on abstract chapters in textbooks those are quite difficult to understand. Today the education programs are burdened with an overcrowded curriculum, in which phonics has successively reduced in lined with pedagogical trends based on literacy acquisition. Teachers complained that phonics instruction is a difficult subject because they are not receiving sufficient explicit and systematic knowledge especially in relation to phonological knowledge in helping the child to read. Jalongo (1998) has commented that is a virtual conspiracy afoot among educators to keep this superior knowledge to ourselves and deny children access to the keys to the kingdom of reading. Teachers are either too lazy to teach phonics or too obstinate to consider it. Teachers and their trainee teachers do not understand how to teach phonics instruction and they rely on computer exercise and games to supply the phonics activities. Buckland and Fraser (2008) has stated these teachers accepted literary knowledge but they did not have knowledge of building blocks language necessary for the big picture of effective literacy teaching. It is the professional responsibility of teachers to develop extensive knowledge of phonics instruction a repertoire of teaching strategies to adapt to the needs of individual children in order to ensure success. Using Phonics instruction to Improve Reading Many researchers and educators still wondering about the use of phonics instruction help student to improve their reading. According to research has shown that systematic phonics instruction significantly enhances students in kindergarten through to sixth grade and children having difficulty in learning how to read. Children that receive systematic beginning instruction were better able to read text and also the improvement in their ability to comprehend text (NICHD, 2000). Systematic synthetic phonics has a positive effective on student with poor reading abilities and low grade achievement with students in school. A child who has been introduced to systematic phonics instruction in elementary school at early levels is able to read properly. Teaching reading using phonics instruction helps kindergarten better understanding the use of alphabetic principles and better able to give students a faster start in learning to read than direct instruction; these children alphabetic knowledge and reading skills have improved. Teachers need to improve students skills in reading by teaching phonics instruction in a meaningful way with a text and emphasize the role of systematic synthetic phonics in the classroom. There are many students who are moving out of the education system that cannot read because they cannot distinguish between sounds of words while some were not exposed to a book or even phonics instruction. Educators need to be focused on a early interventi on literacy program and mandate a strong phonics instruction which emphasize on reading program across the curriculum that fulfil the reading difficulties in the classrooms. Findings cited in the National Reading Panel Report (NICHD, 2000) on the of systematic phonics instruction including the following: Systematic phonics instruction was shown to produce substantial improvement in reading and spelling in kindergarten through sixth grade, especially for younger children who risk of future reading failure and disable readers. The contribution of systematic phonics instruction to reading provide achievement was greater than that of programs that provided unsystematic phonics instruction and programs that included no phonics instruction. Positive results were greater with younger students (kindergarten students and first graders), indicating that beginning systematic phonics instruction early is helpful. Systematic phonics instruction produced gains when used in a variety of grouping patterns such as one-on-one tutoring, small groups, and whole-class instruction. Gains in reading were demonstrated by children from all socioeconomic levels. Systematic phonics instruction improved comprehension and showed an even greater impact on word recognition (pp.26). This finding encourages the government and educators should be using phonics instruction to improve the quality of their reading program in elementary schools. There are many students moving from grade to grade who cannot read and comprehend the text. The best support for children with significant literacy difficulties to enable them to catch up with their peers, and relationship between such targeted intervention programmes with phonics teaching. The teaching of early reading and phonics in primary schools and early years setting, will improve literacy in school today and including both the content area (Europe Intelligence Wire, 2005). Comprehension using Phonics According to NICHHD (2000), reading comprehension is the act of understanding and interpreting the information within a text. Children exposed to phonics at an early age and understanding methods of decoding words can begin to engage in regular reading by translating letters into sounds of oral language and then using their cognitive processes to facilitate listening comprehension to understand what they have read. Teachers can present relevant scaffolding to help student understand textual meaning, and acquire the cipher for mapping sound onto letter to develop their comprehension skill. The high quality phonics instruction should be taught as the primary approach to student in learning to decode (to read) and encode (to write/spell) that will help in analysis comprehension. Phonics instruction should be emphasized within a broad and rich language curriculum that develop students in the area of comprehension skills and expand childrens abilities of words. Teaching comprehension usin g phonics to elementary children should be multisensory in order to arouse their interest by motivating in an exciting way Gambrell, Marrow and Pressley (2007) explained that students often need concentrated instructional support in phonics approaches in order to learn important skills and strategies that they might have difficulty discovering and principles of comprehension skills. Comprehension is an important development of childrens reading skills in academic learning in all subjects areas and in lifelong journey. Learning comprehension using phonics is a dynamic aspect for readers in the understanding of a text that provides the context within which to comprehend individual words and sentences. In teaching comprehension passages, students need to understand basic phonetic instruction to read words and spell. Cain( 2003) stated that word reading is essential for reading comprehension but does not ensure good comprehension of written text if children do not understand basic phonetics. Children who develop age appropriate word reading lack teaching phonics instruction in the classroom; therefore their reading comprehension is poor. They also have poor listening comprehension, indicating that subtle word reading difficulties can be the source of their reading comprehension problems. The theoretical approaches in the teaching phonics instruction has found to improve childrens success in learning to read and was extensively more effective than little or no phonics instruction in the elementary schools. Phonics instruction has positive effective on reading and comprehension skills on children in literacy and also in the traditional and contemporary methods are lacking, emphasis must be placed on the development of new methods that provide teachers with much needed guidance and explication in these years of reformulation in the classrooms (Wilson and Colmar, 2008). CONCLUSION Teaching students to read is a responsible of every teacher in education system. Teachers have to implement creative and effective instructional practices to in the curriculum. Teaching students to read is a responsibility of every teacher in the education system. Teachers have to implement creative and effective instructional practices in the curriculum. The education system needs to place more emphasis on phonics by using to help combat illiteracy in children. Children who were taught phonics at an early age

Succubus Blues CHAPTER 11

Hospitals are creepy places, cold and sterile. A true reminder of the tenuous nature of mortality. The thought of Hugh here made me nauseous, but I squelched the feeling as best I could, sprinting through the halls to the room Samantha had named. When I reached it, I found Hugh lying calmly in a bed, his large body clad in a gown, his skin bruised and bandaged. A blond figure sat next to the bed with him, holding his hand. She turned in surprise when I burst into the room. â€Å"Georgina,† Hugh said, giving me a weak smile. â€Å"Nice of you to stop by.† The blond woman, presumably Samantha, studied me uneasily. Slim and doe-eyed, she tightened her grip on Hugh's hand, and I figured this must be the twenty-year old from work. Her unnatural breasts verified as much. â€Å"It's all right,† he told her reassuringly. â€Å"This is my friend Georgina. Georgina, Samantha.† â€Å"Hi,† I told her, offering my hand. She took it. Hers was cold, and I realized then that her nervousness was not so much at meeting me as general concern over what had happened to Hugh. It was touching. â€Å"Sweetie, would you excuse Georgina and me for a bit? Maybe go get yourself a drink from the cafeteria?† He spoke gently and kindly to her, a tone he rarely used with the rest of us on our pub nights. Samantha turned to Hugh anxiously. â€Å"I don't want to leave you alone.† â€Å"I won't be alone. Georgina and I just need to talk. Besides, she's a, uh, black belt; nothing will happen to me.† I made a face at him behind her back as she considered. â€Å"I suppose that's all right†¦ you'll call my cell if you need me, right? I'll come right back.† â€Å"Of course,† he promised, kissing her hand. â€Å"I'll miss you.† â€Å"I'll miss you more.† She rose, gave me another uncertain look, and retreated out the door. I watched her go a moment before taking her chair beside Hugh. â€Å"Very sweet. I think I'm getting cavities.† â€Å"No need to be bitter. Just because you can't form meaningful attachments with mortals.† His jest hurt a lot more than it probably should have, but then, I still had Roman on the brain. â€Å"Besides,† he continued, â€Å"she's a little upset about what happened today.† â€Å"Yeah, I imagine so. Jesus. Look at you.† I surveyed his wounds in greater detail. Hints of stitches appeared beneath some bandages, and dark blotchy bruises blossomed here and there. â€Å"Could be worse.† â€Å"Could it?† I wondered archly. I'd never seen any immortal sustain so much injury. â€Å"Sure. First, I could be dead, and I'm not. Second, I heal just like you do. You should have seen me this afternoon when they brought me in. The trick now will be to get me out of here before someone notices just how fast I'm recovering.† â€Å"Does Jerome know about this?† â€Å"Of course. I called him earlier, but he'd already felt it. I expect him to show up any time now. Did he call you?† â€Å"Not exactly,† I admitted, hesitant to bring up the note quite yet. â€Å"What happened? When you were attacked?† â€Å"I don't remember a lot of details.† Hugh shrugged slightly, an awkward maneuver for one lying down. I suspected he'd already gone through this story with a number of others. â€Å"I stepped out for coffee. I was the only one in the parking lot, and while coming back to my car, this†¦ person, I guess, just jumped out and attacked me. No warning.† â€Å"You guess?† He frowned. â€Å"I never really got a good look. He was big, though, I could peg that much. And strong – really strong. A lot stronger than I would have thought.† Hugh himself was no weakling. True, he didn't work out or do much with his body, but he had a big frame and a lot of density to fill that frame out. â€Å"Why did he stop?† I asked. â€Å"Did someone find you guys?† â€Å"Nah, I don't know why he quit. It was all beating and slashing one minute; the next, he's gone. Took about fifteen minutes before someone else came along and helped me.† â€Å"You keep saying ‘he.' You think it was a guy?† He attempted another shrug. â€Å"I don't really know. Just an impression I got. Could have been a hot blonde for all I know.† â€Å"Yeah? Should I question Samantha?† â€Å"You shouldn't be questioning anyone, according to Jerome. Did you ever talk to Erik?† â€Å"Yeah†¦ he's looking into some things for me. He also reaffirmed that vampire hunters can't kill you or me, nor has he ever heard of anything that can.† Hugh turned thoughtful. â€Å"This person didn't kill me.† â€Å"Do you think he was trying?† â€Å"He was certainly trying to do something. Seems like if he could have killed me, he would have.† â€Å"But he couldn't,† a voice behind me pointed out, â€Å"because, as I've said, vampire hunters can only inconvenience you, not kill you.† I turned, startled at hearing Jerome's voice. It startled me further to see Carter with him. â€Å"Leave it to Jerome to play devil's advocate,† joked the angel. â€Å"What are you doing here, Georgina?† demanded the demon icily. My mouth gaped, and it took me a moment to speak. â€Å"How†¦ how did you do that?† Carter stood there dressed as disreputably as ever. Whereas Doug and Bruce looked like they were in a grunge band, the angel looked like the band had kicked him out. He gave me a lopsided grin. â€Å"Do what? Come up with a clever pun referencing Jerome's demonic status? The truth is, I usually keep a stash of them on hand and – â€Å" â€Å"No. Not that. I can't feel you†¦ can't sense you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I could see Carter with my eyes, but I could not feel that powerful signature, aura, or whatever, that normally radiated from an immortal. Turning to Jerome suddenly, I realized he was the same. â€Å"Or you. I can't sense either of you. I couldn't the other night either.† Angel and demon exchanged glances over my head. â€Å"We can mask it,† said Carter at last. â€Å"What, like a light switch or something? You can turn it on and off?† â€Å"It's a bit more complicated than that.† â€Å"Well, this is news to me. Can we do it? Hugh and I?† â€Å"No,† both Jerome and Carter answered together. Jerome elaborated, â€Å"Only higher immortals can do it.† Hugh weakly attempted to sit up. â€Å"Why†¦ are you doing it?† â€Å"You never answered my question, Georgie,† Jerome pointed out, obviously avoiding the subject. He glanced at the imp. â€Å"I told you not to contact the others.† â€Å"I didn't. She just came.† Jerome turned his gaze back on me, and I fished the mysterious note out of my purse. I handed it to him, and the demon read it expressionlessly before handing it over to Carter. When the angel finished, he and Jerome looked at each other again in that annoying way of theirs. Jerome deposited the note into an inner pocket of his suit jacket. â€Å"Hey, that's mine.† â€Å"Not anymore.† â€Å"Don't tell me you're going to stick to your party line about this being a vampire hunter,† I shot back. Jerome's dark eyes narrowed shrewdly at me. â€Å"Why wouldn't I? This person mistook Hugh for a vampire, but as you've already observed, Nancy Drew, Hugh could not be killed.† â€Å"I think this person knew Hugh wasn't a vampire.† â€Å"Oh? Why do you say that?† â€Å"The note. The person who wrote it mentions my shape-shifting. He knows I'm a succubus. He probably knows Hugh's an imp.† â€Å"His knowing you're a succubus explains why he didn't attack you. He knew he couldn't kill you. He wasn't sure about Hugh, however, so he took his chances.† â€Å"With a knife.† Again, I remembered: How do you know if a demon is lying? His lips are moving. â€Å"I thought the story was that this was some amateur vampire hunter arbitrarily going after people with a stake because he didn't know any better. Instead, this person somehow knows about me and took on Hugh with a knife.† Carter stifled a yawn and joined in on Jerome's game. â€Å"Maybe this person's learning. You know, expanding their choice of weapons. After all, no one stays an amateur for long. Even new vampire hunters wise up eventually.† I jumped on the one detail here no one had addressed yet. â€Å"And even children know that vampires don't come out in daylight. What time were you attacked, Hugh?† A strange look crossed the imp's face. â€Å"Late this afternoon. When the sun was up.† I looked exultantly at Jerome. â€Å"This person knew Hugh wasn't a vampire.† Jerome leaned against a wall, appearing unfazed as he picked nonexistent pieces of lint from his slacks. He looked more like John Cusack than ever today. â€Å"So? Mortals get delusions of grandeur. He kills one vampire and decides to do his part against the rest of the evil forces inhabiting this city. That changes nothing.† â€Å"I don't think it was a mortal.† Both Jerome and Carter, looking at other things in the room, now snapped their heads toward me. â€Å"Oh?† I swallowed, slightly flustered under that scrutiny. â€Å"I mean†¦ you guys prove higher immortals can go around without being sensed, and no one's been able to sense anything from this guy. Plus, look at Hugh's damage. Erik said mortals can't really do substantial – † I bit off my words, realizing my error. Carter laughed softly. â€Å"Damn it, Georgie.† Jerome straightened like a whip. â€Å"I told you to let us handle this. Who else have you talked to?† Whatever cloaking Jerome had been doing vanished, and I suddenly became aware of the power crackling around him. It reminded me of one of those sci-fi movies when a door opens into outer space, and all the debris gets sucked out as a result of the vacuum. Everything in the room seemed to be drawn into Jerome, toward his swelling power and might. To my immortal perceptions, he became a glowing bonfire of terror and energy. I cringed against Hugh's bed, resisting the urge to shade my eyes. The imp put a hand on my arm, though whether it was for my comfort or his own, I didn't know. â€Å"No one. I swear it, no one else. I just asked Erik some questions†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Carter took a step toward the furious demon, face angelically calm. â€Å"Easy there. You're sending up a beacon to any immortal in a ten-mile radius.† Jerome's eyes stayed fixed on me, and I felt true fear for the first time in centuries in the focus of all that intensity. Then, like the light switch I'd joked about earlier, it all vanished. Just like that, Jerome stood before me completely incognito for all arcane intents and purposes. Like a mortal. He exhaled heavily and rubbed a spot between his eyes. â€Å"Georgina,† he said at last. â€Å"Contrary to whatever you believe, this is not all some elaborate attempt to vex you. Please stop going against me. We're doing what we're doing for a reason. Your best interests really are at heart here.† My catty nature wanted to ask if demons had hearts, but something else struck me as more pressing. â€Å"Why the ‘we' here? I assume you mean him.† I nodded toward Carter. â€Å"What could involve both a demon and an angel and make them skulk around hiding their presence? Are you guys afraid of something?† â€Å"Skulking?† Carter sounded jovially indignant. â€Å"Please, Georgie,† intoned Jerome, patience obviously at a breaking point, â€Å"leave well-enough alone. If you really want to do something useful, you will avoid dangerous situations like I advised before. I can't make you stay in protected company, but if you persist in being a nuisance otherwise, I can find a convenient place to stash you until this all blows over. This is not about anyone's ‘side,' and you only run the risk of muddling up matters you don't understand.† I unconsciously squeezed Hugh's hand for support. I did not want to think about what sort of â€Å"convenient place† Jerome had in mind. â€Å"Do we understand each other?† the demon asked softly. I nodded. â€Å"Good. You will be of most assistance to me by keeping yourself safe. I have too many things to worry about now without adding you to the list.† I nodded again, not trusting myself to speak. His small display had had its intended effect on temporarily cowing me, though some niggling part of me knew I would be unable to â€Å"leave well-enough alone† once I walked out of here. It would be best to keep that knowledge to myself. â€Å"That will be all, Georgie,† Jerome added. I heard the dismissal. â€Å"I'll walk you out,† offered Carter. â€Å"No thanks.† But the angel followed in my wake anyway. â€Å"So how'd it go with Seth Mortensen?† â€Å"Okay.† â€Å"Just okay?† â€Å"Just okay.† â€Å"I hear he's living here now. And spends a lot of time at Emerald City.† I eyed him askance. â€Å"Where'd you hear that?† He only grinned. â€Å"So? Tell me about it.† â€Å"There's nothing to tell,† I snapped, uncertain why I was even discussing this. â€Å"I've talked to him a few times, toured him around. We don't really click. We can't communicate.† â€Å"Why not?† Carter wanted to know. â€Å"He's a hardcore introvert. Doesn't talk much. Just watches. Besides, I don't want to encourage him.† â€Å"So you're increasing his silence.† I shrugged and pushed the button for an elevator. â€Å"I think I know a book that might help you. I'll dig it out and let you borrow it.† â€Å"No thanks.† â€Å"Don't knock it. It'll improve your communication skills with Seth. I saw it on a talk show.† â€Å"Aren't you listening? I don't want to improve things.† â€Å"Ah,† said Carter sagely. â€Å"You don't go for introverts.† â€Å"I – no, that's not it. I don't have a problem with introverts. â€Å" â€Å"Then why don't you like Seth?† â€Å"I do like him! Damn it, stop this.† The angel quirked me a grin. â€Å"It's all right to feel that way. I mean, past evidence shows you tend to go for showy, flirty guys anyway.† â€Å"What's that supposed to mean?† I immediately thought of my attraction to Roman. Carter's eyes flashed mischievously. We were at the hospital's exit now. â€Å"I don't know. You tell me, Letha.† I had nearly walked out the door, but his comment jerked me back. I spun around so fast, my hair whipped around and hit me in the face. â€Å"Where did you hear that name?† â€Å"I have my sources.† A great nebulous emotion swelled up in my chest, something I couldn't entirely identify. It fell somewhere on the continuum of hate and despair, not really subscribing to either one. Hotter and hotter it grew within me, making me want to scream at Carter and that smug, knowing look on his face. I wanted to beat my fists against him or shape-shift into something horrific. I didn't know where he'd learned that name, but it woke up some sort of sleeping monster within me, something that had been tightly coiled up. He continued watching me coolly, undoubtedly reading my thoughts. Slowly, I became aware of my surroundings. The chilly corridors. The anxious visitors. The efficient staff. I calmed my breathing and fixed the angel with a scathing look. â€Å"Don't you ever call me that again. Ever.† He shrugged, still smiling. â€Å"My mistake.† I turned smartly on my heels and left him there. I stormed out to my car and didn't even realize I was driving until I was halfway across the bridge, tears leaking from the corners of my eyes.

“Hunger Games” Movie vs Book

The Hunger Games The Hunger Games is the first novel of The Hunger Games series written by Suzanne Collins in 2008. This novel is written in the first person point of view of the main character, Katniss Everdeen. Throughout the story, Katniss’s opinions are made clear to the audience. This intriguing novel shares Katniss’s struggles and overall victory of the 74th Annual Hunger Games. The Hunger Games story takes place in a post-apocalyptic society. The Capitol is a highly advance city that holds reign over the 12 districts.The Hunger Games is an annual contest hosted by the Capitol in which each district offers one boy and girl chosen by lottery or by choice, if willing. These tributes fight to the death in an arena where they have to fight for weapons and necessities for survival. Prim Everdeen, Katniss’s sister, is chosen by lottery to be tribute for District 12. Without hesitation, Katniss volunteers to be the tribute for District 12. Katniss and Peeta, the b oy tribute from her district, are transported to the Capitol. This is where the audience gets to see the difference between the 12 districts.Katniss’s district, District 12, is the poorest, where many people starve to death; however, District 1 is the wealthiest and don’t face the same challenges as Katniss. The tributes from District 1 and 2 are trained from birth to be tributes in the Hunger Games. These â€Å"Career† tributes volunteer themselves to participate in the Hunger Games and believe it is an honor to serve their district. This story leads the audience in further when Peeta confesses his love for Katniss during the interviews held prior to the Games.When the Games begin, Katniss shows her true ability to survive in the wilderness. She uses her knowledge from surviving in District 12 to help her eat and sleep high in the trees. In the beginning of the Hunger Games, Peeta forms an alliance with the Career tributes, while Katniss forms an alliance and f riendship with Rue, the tribute from District 11. After Rue is killed, Katniss is back to surviving the games on her own until the announcer informs the tributes that two contestants can win if they are from the same district. Katniss finds Peeta and nurses him back to health.Finally, the only tributes that are left are Katniss, Peeta, and the Career Tribute from District 1. The tribute is eaten by â€Å"mutations†, which nearly killed Katniss and Peeta. However, the tributes from District 12 are not out of the Games, because the announcer tells them that the rules have changed once again and now only one may be victor. When neither Katniss nor Peeta can kill each other, they decide to eat the night lock berries which would kill them immediately. Quickly, the announcer declares that Katniss and Peeta are both the victors of the 74th Annual Hunger Games.The Hunger Games was later turned into a movie in 2012. The book and the movie have several similarities. In both the movie a nd the novel, Katniss volunteers for the Games, saving her sister Prim. Another comparison is the Capitol’s power amongst the 12 districts. The most important similarity is that in both the novel and the movie, Peeta states that he does not want the Games to change him, for he wants to stay true to himself. Katniss does not know how that is possible, until she participates in the Hunger Games.In both the movie and the novel, Peeta does not murder any other tributes during the Games. The novel has some major differences as well. The mockingjay pin that Katniss wears for good luck represents District 12. In the book she receives this gift from the mayor’s daughter, Madge; however, in the movie, Katniss receives this pin from her younger sister, Prim. Another difference is Katniss’s relationship with her ally Rue. In the book, the author emphasizes their relationship and how they work together as a team during the Hunger Games.However, in the movie they keep their relationship short. The last difference occurs at the end of the novel. In the novel the beasts that kill the last tribute are called â€Å"muttations. † There are 9 of these beasts which resemble the fallen tributes. In the movie they are just beastly looking mutated dogs. The Hunger Games is a great book. It shows the differences in social class and has many underlying meanings. The movie was just as good and follows the plot very well. It was a little more futuristic looking than I had imagined from the novel, but still captured the overall theme well.

Homelessness As Positively Affected by the McKinney Act

This paper will attempt to explain the plight faced by one of the largest, most vulnerable populations in America today: the homeless, and how the McKinney Act has affected it. This out-group faces many hardships and many different policies have been put into place both helping and harming their overall wellbeing. Policies Implemented For Homeless Many social welfare policies have been put into place throughout the course of history to attempt to deal with the ever present problem of homelessness. Starting at the first widespread attempt by the government with the implementation of the Elizabethan Poor Law, which placed the plight of the poor into the realm of responsibilities of the community; and serves as the very basis for our†¦show more content†¦The lack of affordable health care contributes as well to the problem of homelessness; an unexpected illness can turn finances upside down leaving families suddenly homeless (Center for Public Interest Research, nd). Political factors also play into homelessness, when the federal government slashes funding for integral social programs like housing assistance the number of homeless persons skyrockets (Center for Public Interest Research, nd). Social problems are yet another contributing factor as to why a person may end up homeless, especially with drug and alcohol addictions, and as many as 25% of the homeless suffer from some form of mental illness (Center for Public Interest Research, nd). Many women and children are homeless as a result of fleeing domestic violence and there not being adequate shelters or programs to provide assistance (Center for Public Interest Research, nd). Description and History of McKinney Act Policy The McKinney Act originally consisted of fifteen different programs that provided a broad range of services from emergency shelter, transitional housing, job skills training, health care, and education and in some instances permanent housing (HUD, 2013). Since its inception the policy has been renewed and expanded upon many times. In October 2000 President Clinton renamed the policy the McKinney-Vento Act when a longtime supporter of the act, Representative Bruce Vento passed away. (NCH, 2006) Currently the act has nine different titles asShow MoreRelatedHomelessness Among Families With Children3141 Words   |  13 PagesAbstract Homelessness among families with children in an increasing problem in the United States today (Martin, 2014). A single mother with two to three children is among the fastest growing homeless demographic (Bassuk, 2010). Research shows that root causes for homelessness among families with children include, a lack of affordable housing, unemployment, domestic violence and substance abuse. Furthermore, studies support that homelessness negatively affects families with children by resulting inRead MoreThe Family Environment Can Have A Positive Or Negative4338 Words   |  18 Pagesacademic achievement. It is imperative to understand what is meant by negative family environment for the study to be relevant to the understanding of how it effects academic achievement. This study will address poverty, culture and diversity, homelessness, parental involvement, and teacher beliefs. Poverty affects approximately 15 million children in the United States (Jiang et al., 2015). Children living in poverty, struggle daily to survive. The effects of poverty on academic achievement haveRead MoreMulticultural Education in a Pluralistic Society21691 Words   |  87 Pagesdiet. It allows families to save money for college educations and the purchase of new cars. Most low-income and middle-income families are barely able to cover their expenses from one paycheck to the next, and are only a few paychecks away from homelessness if they lose their job. Higher incomes provide security for families who do not need to worry about paying for the essentials and have access to health care and retirement benefits. WEALTH Although the difference in income among families is